This recipe might look ambitious but after one bite you'll realize it was all worth it! Plus fancy toasts are so trendy and impressive. Try serving it to dinner or party guests as part of an array of appies or make it part of your own indulgent weekend brunch spread!

** makes 14 small toasts

smoked cashew cheese ingredients:

1 C raw whole cashews (soaked and refrigerated in water for 3 hrs)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp miso paste

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/8 tsp white pepper

Powder from 1 vegan source probiotic capsule (10 billion CFU)

poached pear ingredients:

3 bosc pears

3 C water

2/3 C raw sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2-3 thick slices of peeled ginger

fried thyme ingredients:

30 sprigs of thyme

1 teaspoon olive oil (for frying)

extra ingredients:

Loaf of sourdough bread, thinly sliced (or your preference)

Drain the soaking water from the cashews. Then rinse and drain them in fresh water.

In a high-powered blender combine cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, miso paste, sea salt, smoked paprika, white pepper, and probiotic powder. You’ll need to stop the blender frequently to move the mixture around with a spoon or spatula and scrape it off the sides to get it smooth.

The cashew cheese mixture can be wrapped in a double layer of cheesecloth and placed in sealed container to achieve a round shape or scoop the mixture into a jar with a lid and let it set in the fridge for at least 24 hours (up to 36 hours for a stronger flavour)

For the poached pears bring water, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and peeled ginger to a boil in a pot.

Meanwhile peel the pears, cut them in halves, and remove the core and seeds.

Once the poaching liquid is boiling place pears in the pot and let them simmer at a low boil for 20 minutes. To prevent pears from poking out of the liquid you can cut a round of parchment paper the circumference of your pot, cut a small hole in the centre, and place it on top of the liquid in the pot.

The pears are done when you can easily poke a fork in them and the pear halves slide off. Remove them from the liquid and allow to cool.

Just before serving the toasts, heat a pan over medium heat with oil and thyme sprigs. Fry for 1-2 minutes until crispy, but still contain some colour.

Prepare your toast to your liking in the oven or toaster.

Thinly slice the cooled poached pears.

Spread smoked cashew cheese on pieces of toast, place 3 thin slices of pear on top, and garnish with fried thyme. Serve immediately.